Twilight Bonds
by Kasan Soulblade
Summary: A catche of Twilight Princess fics and oneshots detailing the Link Medna friendship. The game needed so much more MednaLink fluff it's not funny.
1. Two Twilights

Twilight bonds

Two Twilights

_A/N: Spoilers aplenty for Twilight Princess fans. Twilight game needed so much more Medna/Link fluff it's not funny. This is a collection of oneshots detailing their friendship. Some connected, some not._

She whimpered, draped over his back, she quaked as she stared up into the blue sky. He whined in response to her muffled cry. His curse was such he couldn't even ask if she was alright, if there was anything that he could do... Gnashing his fangs in frustration he craned his neck up, and had to suppress a shudder at how bad she looked.

She was bone white, the black markings that coursed over her body were little more than pale grey. The once vibrant tattoos of glowing green were the sickly hue of withered grass, and the glow was erratic. Fluttering, fading, the motion was reminiscent of the wings of a bird trapped in a cage.

Seeing his sky blue eyes on her, she opened her mouth, her lips curled into a half smile that collapsed upon itself and twisted into a grimace of pain.

_So much for her offering hollow comfort_…

He couldn't even smile, to offer her the illusion that he was buying her brave act. The inability to comfort, to even say that he knew she was going to be fine... it hurt. He whimpered, as if struck with an arrow, and almost wished that he was. That pain, was nothing compared to this helpless agony.

_Sun will be down shortly, you've never seen a sunset have you? The only times you've been... "there" were when I was in the Twilight world. You'll get to see our twilight now._

And despite her gaustly hue, and horrid state he felt a glimmer of hope. Stubborn, proud, Medna would never admit to the light world being as beautiful as her Twilight world...

_When you're better, you'll have to tell me what you thought of my Light world._

And she wouldn't let something as simple as death stop her from rubbing in his face how much better her Twilight relm was compared to the boring Hyrule.


	2. Slippers

Twilight bonds

Chapter 2

Slippers

Medna rode his back when he was in wolf form for a number of reasons. He'd asked her why the first time. That long ago time when he'd first regained his voice and was finally able to ask all his questions. He had remembered that one.

And his recollection, and the question, had amused her to no end.

She had smiled, tossed her head –with that orange hair with its blood red tip that was sometimes a hand sometimes a pony tail- and chuckled. And with that mysterious reaction she had dove into his shadow. Blending her essence with the darkness under his shoes.

It was only later, when he'd known how to read her, that he understood her response to be one of great humor. She was like that, subtle to a fault. So he smiled and shrugged, and wondered.

When they crossed yet another twilight border -after the pain of transformation had passed and he stood upon four feet- she gleefully leapt out of his shadow. In the twilight darkness she assumed a solid form and happily planted herself on his back. Medna happily chattered about the sky's beauty. Yet again making a point to point out the sites and rub in his face how wonderful her world was, compared to his of course.

Unable to laugh at her predictability he managed a somewhat cheerful bark that made her laugh. Padding into the gloomy shadows that wrapped around Hylia lake like a shawl he kept one ear cocked back to hear what she said. With a superior sniff to tell him that she knew she was right and glorying in it, she snuggled against the fur on his back and dug her little feet into his side. Her feet had sharp little nails, and were cold. With a yalp, he jumped and whipped his head back to growl his protest.

"Does the puppy have tangles?" Medna teased tugging his fur lightly.

Her feet dug into him, _hard_, and he jumped and yowled.

"Geeze, you're acting like you're dying. Good thing you weren't born a girl with that long hair... Let's see... Do I even _have_ a brush?" There was an odd shimmer in the air above his head. Leaning forward she peered into a small black hole that she held all the odd and ends that she had picked up after her forced exile. Unable to see fully in the hole she swung her feet over his back and used her hands to help in standing. She stood, and set the cold things on the center of his back as she got on her tip toes to better peer in.

With a scream he jumped, and much to Medna's shock he hit the ground and rolled. Howling, he ran from her, leaving her, and the magic hole in the center of the lake's bank.

"Wait... where are you going?" Plucking the hole up in her hair turned hand she floated after him. "Link, wait up. You can't expect me to walk on the cold ground!"

When he had his voice again, after the last seal was broken, he glared at her. And much to Medna's mystification muttered something about slippers.

"The temple is that way!" The Twi imp -reduced to a mere shadow by the golden light of the sun- yelled to his fast retreating form. She pointed to the water with a shade hued claw.

"We aren't going in!" He snapped, then adding to her confusion he added. "Not 'til we get to Hyrule town and buy you some slippers!"


	3. Pushing

Twilight Bonds

Chapter 3

Pushing

_A/N: Sorry guys, I'll try to get her name right, Midna… I think I got it down now, if I make any other errors like that drop me a line to correct me. _

"We're out of food."

Midna tried not to wince at that pronouncement. Though Link's tone was blameless she was at fault, and she knew it. She'd been the one who had slipped into the green clad man's traveling gear and had begun playing with _this_ wax seal, and _that_ water canteen's cap, and _of course_ she uncorked the glass bottle's top just enough for the oil to leak out over everything… It had been a prank, a little prank taken out of hand by boredom and frustration.

She levitated and followed, drifting little bits of shadow stuff in her wake. Midna's bright red eyes were downcast; focusing on some rocks below, rather than seek his gaze. Finally, after the silence went on for too long she levitated one of the smaller rocks up and kicked at it with a shadowy foot.

Since the sun was up, all she managed to do was bring the stone up and have her foot pass through it, she had tried though, and the sight made Link chuckle.

"It's not your fault."

"You didn't have a field day with the food and supplies and spilled everything on top of everything else."

Taking off his green cap, tucking it in his packs, Link flashed Midna a smile before picking up the packs that smelled of everything possible mashed together. The smells of oil mixed with dried fruit, mixed with red chu-chu muck, mixed with … Well that was an example of one whiff.

"Just promise me you won't turn me into a wolf before I get a chance to wash this thing out again." Link wrinkled his noise, and gingerly swung the pack over his shoulder.

Red eyes flickered with the familiar gleam of humor. Baring her small fangs in a wide shadow hued smile the imp pulled out a familiar orange and black trinket out of a patch of gloomy air. Tapping the spell stone against her cheek, Midna chortled, lining the stone up with a surprised looking Link.

"One wolf change coming right up!"

"Ack!" Jumping back in terror the hero dropped his packs and dove behind the nearest bolder. There wasn't one though. So Link valiantly tried to dodge out of the imp's range of sight in an open field. Midna kept the stone trained on him for a few minutes. Her smile growing wider and wider with the more outrageous dives Link was pulling off. Finally when the laughter was too hard to hold in she tossed the spell stone back into the portable patch of darkness that the Twi carried on her at all times.

It had been many long days since she laughed. Their journey had consisted of long weeks fighting monsters and traveling through surreal and deadly terrain. Being glum had been the imp's way of life since she'd lost everything to Zant. Laughter was rare in her life, and Link's antics helped make it a more common.

Dusting himself off after his final roll, Link got to his feet, a familiar –almost omnipresent- grin on his face.

"Feeling better?"

Once she would have snapped at him to drop the concern. He shouldn't care for her; it wasn't like she cared for him! That was once upon a time ago, a time better forgotten and forsaken…

Still she had an image to maintain. She sniffed, and drifted past him, seemingly indifferent.

"I'll take that as a yes."

She stiffened at his comment, and whirled soundlessly in the air until she faced him. With a perfect mock menace she mimed leveling Zant's curse stone at him.

"Don't push it wolf boy."


	4. True Evil

Twilight Princess one shot

True evil

There was an evil more encompassing than any dark lord, more sadistic than Zant and more deprived than the souls captured and twisted by the Mirror shards. This den of darkness stood toe to toe in the world of the outré as well, for it's inhabitants were more bizarre than any of the monsters that inhabited the Twi. Perhaps, housed within these four walls, was an evil so unspeakable that the Dark Lord Ganon shuddered to contemplate it.

Perhaps dwelling within such a dark world the Dark Lord himself abstained from contemplating this inky blot on Hylain soil to preserve the shattered remnants of his sanity…

His hand closed over the hilt of his sword, her own twitched in preparation of some Impish magic, they crossed the final threshold before the evil. A broad, dour, face stared beyond them, captured on mere parchment the illumination reveled the mind behind the madness. And since it was affixed upon the cheapest of substances it was made in abundance. A multitude of images, all the same, looked blankly on with neither malevolence nor benevolence marring the placidly of that paper bound stare.

The portal was unguarded, a turn of the knob and the barest of pushes would have cause the door to open, it was the colophony inside that stilled the chosen of Courage's hand. The screams and stomps stole courage as well as the realization that an alien illumination beyond the sealed entry way caused the seapms of the door, and his boots besides, to pulse with an alien rainbow. Princes of the Twi and country born swordsman looked at one another for one final assurance, than together, they entered.

There greeted in this land of horrors was a bent old man. Teeth bared he approached the intruders, his head literality _alight_ from the buzzing helm that covered his skull. Inanely the swordsman thought of an old line from a child's tale. "all the better to eat you my dear!", in such a macabre place the line was uncomfortably a good fit. Brains surely being sucked out to serve as fuel for the buzzing, glowing device strapped to his head the old man greeted them, his voice a tortured thing born of constant screaming.

"Welcome to MALO MART!"

_Ten minutes later…._

Pale, drained, but triumphant they withdrew, discounted red potion in hand.

Shuddering, ruby eyes wide with the horrors endured, the imp spoke for both of them when she said "We are never shopping there ever again!"

Link could only not his head in agreement, for he was still to traumatized to speak.


	5. Normal

Twilight Bonds

Normal People

A/N: Written to DrakeSwords "Tattered Slippers", one of my favorite "twilight princess" remixes.

"You know _normal_ people…"

He'd heard that one a lot, quite a bit actually. So he checked his first impulse –to roll his eyes- and sat tamely through the lecture, letting the inconsistencies of the scene play on in his mind. His guild to sanity, to mundanely, wore a dress of pink, brown pants, and omni present grass stains that streaked both dress and pants green. Wide brimmed straw hat adorned with creeping crawling things that she so admired, the bug catcher continued on with her admonition, about how "normal" people didn't talk to themselves. He nodded, smiled, as he had all the times before, waiting out the verbal storm. It passed, with a "humph" and stomp of the foot as the speaker realized he really wasn't listening and stormed off. Still, he'd been polite, giving the speaker her due and his attention –thought it was only half of his attention at best, but it was his and he gave it freely- only once crossing the border into genuine rudeness to swat at a patch of rustling grass about midway through the bug catcher's with his had.

Hardly rebuked, the grass continued to rustle. If one listened closely enough by putting a pointed ear the threads of shade that cross crossed from the base of the stems to make a night bound world for the various bugs and animals that frolicked under the stems one might have heard a giggle or two. Or three, or four, or five…

Even after she left –and her back was safely turned he smacked the grass a few more times. Green fabric set grass to rustling, scythed through the shade that merely shifted aside, and those tell tale giggles became snickers… The tone in the latter was pure evil, in the former there were –pun intended- only mite shadings of malice and evil to the sounds.

Truth be told, he rather liked the former giggles, those snickers were rather blood chilling since they were generally a prelude some malicious prank.

"Does this happen every time you talk to me and someone overhears?" The gray shade shivered as if it was convulsing with mirth, a glint of red guaranteed the query was not born from the wind.

"Every time." Link snorted. "Which is why I don't talk to you when someone is around."

"Well that explains why you're so rude in town." The "shade" snickered. "Ignoring me and all, talking to other girls…" a small huff sounded from amongst the stems and their attendant shade. "I _could_ get jealous."

"Over the bug catcher?" Link smirked.

"Well-" in his mind, in the shadows of close lids he could see her small form curled, long fingers tapping an angular chin, red eyes squinted. He blinked, the image fell away into the gray where memory met fancy, a mental twilight of a kind... "-on second thought…"

"It's not like she's normally what I like in a girl anyway." Link smirked.

"And what do you normally like?" The grass… or rather the Twi imp concealed within asked innocently… a little too innocently or so the Hylian thought.

"Mmm…" Blue eyes glinting, he shrugged, picked up his hat and popped it on his head and got to his feet. Once standing he stretched, scratched at the side of his face as if in deep thought, and craned his neck up to better look at the noon sky. "Someone… abnormal I guess."

"Huh? Hey, wait!" Seeing that he wasn't slowing the grass shivered as the Imp hidden within the bars of shade hopped from shadow to shadow, trying to keep pace. "You didn't answer me!"

Still addressing the sky, he shrugged, head tilted up.

"I did, you just weren't listening."


	6. Intro: Circles in the Sand

Twilight Bonds

A/N: This is going to actually have chapters to it as it's a short story rather than a one shot.

Intro: Circles in the sand

It looked simple enough, charge than whoop, come at the side rather than straight ahead... She filed the details away, so entranced in her watching that her magics failed her. Substance flowing from the shadows until she solidified she lay amongst the grass after a few moments, red eyes bright, oblivious to how the longer of the plans striping her back and legs with green bands. It was... rather circular... she decided. Tilting her pointed imp head to the side she watched on, catching the nascence with observation. Circular, cyclical, round and around... Feeling a bit dizzy she yawned and shook her head. When the dizziness abated she smirked despite her irritation.

Why Link had suddenly raced home to tend herd animals was beyond her. Oh, he'd told her _why_, but the most important why, the why _he_ had to do so... that he never had explained.

Maybe it was the spirit animal doing the talking on some subconscious level. That obsessive need to chase a tail before sleeping obviously had gone wild when put in a creature of Hylian proportions. Lifting one leg only to kick it down against the dirt and grass she idly drummed her toes into the sod. Whirling Epona around, smiling wide, Link nodded to the other farmer's suggestion that they open the pens up "one more time" to "make sure the goats were properly exercised".

_That _was the last straw, bunching her clawed hands into fists she stood, planting said fists against her mid section.

"'The _animals need their exercise, Midna_', or _'It's my job Midna_', or the crock of _'A Hylian has to be responsible, holding down an occupation is a hallmark of responsibility_'... What about _saving the world_ you jerk!"

Link stopped, Mido stopped, both men stared.

Midna felt her dark face darkening more, she hadn't meant to scream out the last part, never mind the shrill screech she'd used to state the first.

"M...Monster!"

With that shrill... almost feminine squeal, the rancher hightailed it to the barn, closing the door behind him.

"Ummm..." Looking to the closed barn doors to the goats that were scattered here and there Link sighed, turned his horse so that Epona was facing the fuming Twi Imp. "Is something wrong Midna?"


	7. Circles in the Sand 2

Twilight Bonds

Chapter one: The Blame Game

_Is something wrong Midna? Is something _wrong_!?_

She had scaled the upper ranges effortlessly after that, bounding from shill to "agonyizongly sharp" in tone and pitch in mere moments. In less than five minuets she had hyrule's "hero" scuffing his feet, looking sheepishly at the goats he'd irresponsibly left milling around him, and feeling a touch... juvinille. Carefull to lay enough emphasis here, and a little there, Midna managed to gloss over the fact that the goats milling about were half her fault as she had interupted him while he was herding.

But that wasn't the important part, so she pressed right along.

Lowering both pitch and volume so the last came out as venomous hiss she deleivered the end of her ultimatum, waving a clawed hand to indicate the field, it's milling occupants, and that nicely shut barn door.

Looking around, as if it was the first time he'd ever seen the familiar field, Link winced. He never asked one question, dared one protest, over all it was a nice that the tension soothing tantrum had not only settled her nerves but made her point perfectly clear. Smug with triumph, Midna smirked at the downcast man in forest green, and arm still dangling ordered him to "fix this up, we have to go".

It was then her perfection went out the window, dropped several stories, and died with a shrill sreech.

"But... what about the goats?"

"Do something about them then. Herd them up and put them in their pens if you must, we need to go."

Nevermind she was ordering him to do what she had just ordered him to stop doing. If he moved quick enough and worked hard enough he might miss the contradiction. Luckily, for the Twi's pride, he did miss the contradiction, but that's because he saw the a more significant problem.

"I can herd them if you want... but the door's closed."

"_Open_ it then!" The Imp snapped, arms crossed, red eye glinting.

"I'd love too but-" a heavy "clunk" sounded from behind as the barn door's thick wooden bolt being slammed shut. "-I think the door's locked."

"Go... go away! I'm not opening the door until the monsters are all gone!" Mido squealed from the shadows of the barn.

"This is your fault." Link groused, then heaving a Goron heavy sigh he trooping up to the locked door.

"No it's not!" Midna snapped. Arms crossed, red eyes thinned to malicious slits, her show was wasted on Link's retreating back. Hardly satisfied with the hero's stoicism in face of her outburst Midna trailed after him, trailing gloom and protests all the while. Used to her many oddities Link easily ignored them. Finally, when the Imp's "defending herself" became acidic and provoke rising the ranchhand gave into her little game. With a snort that brought images of his lupine self to the Twi Imp's mind the Hylian folded and began to banter back.

Now, no longer bored, all peevishness faded from the Twi Imp's face. With a toothy smile Midna reclined on the air and thus they continued, stopping at the barns door.

"Mido!" Knocking on the thick wooden doors with one fist Link looked past Midna, the goats were starting to stray. "Open the door and I'll bring them in!"

"Y... You're not Link!" Came the shrill, squeaky voice from the ranch.

"Of course I'm Link." The Hylian snapped, giving the Imp a "go away" look that she read and pointedly ignored.

"The... The Link I know wouldn't talk to monsters!"

"Mido, please, it's getting late, just let me bring the goats in and..."

"Go away!"

With a wicked giggle Midna spun out of her recline, shade swirling from her claw tips she crooned and beckoned to one of the open windows. "Open the door little man and I'll eat your soul."

For a long moment all was silent, then claoked in whimpers arose a shaking, pale, hand. It crept with a skultilla's jitteryness along the frame of the window, questing, then all five fingers closed over the knob of the shutters. With it's quest complete the hand jerked back, a thunderous smash hearlded the closing of the shudders. A smash and a squeal, as Mido not only closed the window but caught his fingers in the bargin.

Arms crossed, eyes thinned to venomous slits -some mannerisms were contagious after all- the Hylian glared at the Twi Imp.

"_That_ did not help."

_I know_, said the Imp's grin and wicked giggle, with a twinkling of claws she descended into shad and shadow, disappearing into the dark under his boots.


	8. Circles in the Sand 3

Twilight Bonds

Chapter two: We're doing what?!

He'd shucked off his boots, not with a casuallyness the turn of phraise elicts, but with a care given to one made weary of the shadows. Unlace then excise foot so that it stood upon lether, repeat with the right foot, than hop. An odd way to take off one's shoes, but a nessescary one if you didn't want a certian Twi to shadow jump. Confident he had her confined, he pulled his sword from his sheath and proded the right boot. Nothing, it fell over with a soft "whump" and there was no grumble to advertize that the Imp had been under that boot.

Face twisting into a grim line, he -or rather his sword point- dipped, and comenced poking at the shadow under his shoe.

Silence met the first prod, silence and resistance. Not ground steady resistance, there was a certain... sponginess that recalled to him soem of the monsters of the water temple.

Smirking despite himself, he poked harder, and was rewarded with a "Ow!" for his efforts.

_Wakey, wakey..._

Poke, poke went the sword, "Ow, ouch that stings!" went the patch of shade.

"I need your help."

"I helped earlier."

"You made it worse, and you know it."

Silence, indignant, but truth revealing. He waited, letting the sword slide out of that pach of dark under the sole of his shoe. Quietly he sheathed the master sword and waited. Midna wasn't one to disapoint, having had some time to think and a few helpful pokes of steel had made her properly contreat.

"He'll come out eventually." When that assurance was only greeted with a grunt the Twi hastened to explain. "He has to get hungry eventually, right?"

"There's food inside the shed, some cheese and bread." Link explained in a flat tone.

"Thirsty?"

"There's a well in the barn for filling the goat trough."

Midna thought about that, shithered out of the shade offered by Link's shoe and solidified silently. Levitating until she was level with Link's face she tried a winsome smile.

"You can't possibly be blaming this all on me?"

His unfriendly expression told her that _yes_, as a matter of fact, _he did_.

"Well I can't think of anything to fix this." Midna noted brightly. "We'll just have to leave and let the villagers handle it!"

Link's, flat, uncompamising glare told her without words that leaving was not an option.

Finally, caught and flustered, the Twi Imp's scant patience snapped. "Alright, Sir. Righteous, how should I fix this?" She snapped nasily, gnashing her little fangs in frusteration.

To that Link smiled, a bright sunny smile that made Midna wince and cringe from it's illumination... and from the glint secreted in those blue eyes. For there was malice -a concept that wouldn't have made the Twi squirm, for she was intamently familiar with malicious grins- and something else, something... subtle. Jusification, contenment, language failed to suply her with the word so she did without.

But whatever it was, it was enthusiastic, and she didn't like that enthusiasm in the least.

"Hey, where are you going?"

Again she was speaking to Link's back as the ranchhand padded down the dusty path towards the village.

"I need your help here!" Midna hollared. "You get back here wolf-boy!"

To that he stopped, and as he stopped Midna smiled, a wide fang filled grin. With a spin she faded from sight. materializing from Link's shadow to confront the hero. Still baring her grin and all it's friendly malice, the Twi Imp smirked, and looked into his blue eyes with her one red.

"I just got an idea, and your pivitol, so don't think you're going anywhere."

To emphasis her point she pulled out the orange and red stone Zant had used to curse the Hylian some months back.

"Come on Fido, let's go."

Before he could protest she leveled the stone, flicked a clawed finger and the dark descended. When he stood on all fours she took her favorite seat on his furred back and with an imperial tug on his scruff to point him in the right direction lead him up the hill. With a pathetic whine he padded back towards the ranch, Midna's cackle offering no comfort. Rolling one blue eye up to better consider his passanger the wolf let out an inqusitive bark. He wasn't comforted when a small clawed hand patted his sholder.

"Don't worry, this won't hurt me at all." Midna assured him.

It wasn't much of an assurance, but it was all she'd give on the short loupe to the goat's pen.


End file.
